Marine projectile.



' H. e. BERENTSEN.

MARINE PROJECTILE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. 1918.

Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

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A TTOR/VEY H. G. BERENTSEN. MARINE PROHZCTILE. APPLICATION FILED MAR.23. 1918.

1,294,605. Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

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WMM QL SW A TTOR/VEY H. G. BEREN-TSEN. MARINE PROJECTILE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. I918- 1,294,605. Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

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ATENT OFFICE.

HANS GUSTAV BEBENTSEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y-

MARINE PROJECTILE.

Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

Continuation in part of application Serial No. 202,932, filed November20, 1917. This application filed March 23, 1918. Serial No. 224,107.

I '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HANS GUSTAV BERENT- SEN, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, and a resident of New York, county and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MarineProjectiles, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to shells and other projectiles and it has specialreference to such as are adapted for marine warfare.

One object of my invention is to provide a shell that shall be adaptedfor use against submerged bodies such as submarines or in operatingagainst mine fields.

Another object of myinvention is to provide a shell having means adaptedto materially influence the trajectory of the shell when it strikes thesurface of the water, whereby the natural tendency of the shell toricochet will be abrogated and furthermore the shell directed in a newbut predetermined course under the Water.

Another object of my invention is to provide a projectile having a screwmember adapted to cause it to enter the water when it strikes thesurface thereof together with means located or extending back of thecenter of gravity of the projectile for deflecting its tra ectory andcausing it to dive as soon as it enters the water.

Another object is to provide an attachment for projectiles which may bearranged tobe picked up as the projectile leaves the gun and shall beadapted to deflect the shell as it enters the water.

In attacking-a submarine, submerged mine or the like, if an ordinaryshell is used it ricochets and "s not effective unless it strikes thewater at a large angle. If a. shell having screw blades or a speciallyformed point of some other kind is used it will either tumble end overend when it strikes the Water or will continue in its course in thewater.

Projectiles of this kind are not very effective against a submerged bodybecause the attacking gunner has, as a target, a penscope of a swirlingwater pool which shows on the surface the approximate location of thesubmerged body and if he hits the mark on the surface, the projectilewill pass harmlessly above the submerged body.

According to my invention the projectile is provided with means forcausing it to dive as soon as it hits the water and cons'equently if thegunner hits the surface over the submarine the diving projectile willexplode near the submerged body if properly timed.

Incertain embodiments of my invention I provide in addition to thedeflecting means or unlted with it, means such as a screw for causingthe rotating projectile to enter the water easily.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be set forthhereinafter and I will now proceed to describe the same in' thefollowing specification and then point out the novel, features thereofin appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is'a longitudinal sectional View of a projectile constitutingone embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are views corresponding respectively to Figs. 1 and 2 ofanother embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 5' is a partially sectional view of a gun, in which another form ofprojectile embodying my invention is disposed.

A projectile having a deflecting attachment in addition to a screwformation at the point is shown in partial longitudinal section in Fig.6 and in transverse section in Fig. 7.

Figs. 8 and 9 are views corresponding to Figs. 6 and 7 showing anotherembodiment of my invention.

Fig. 10 shows a gun together with a support for holding the attachmentof Figs. 8 and 9 in position at the muzzle of the gun.

Figs. 11 and 12 are partially diagrammatic elevations showing thetrajectory of the projectiles of Figs. 6 and 8 and illustrating themanner in which they operate as they strike the water and continuetherein.

Special reference may first be had to Figs. 1 and 2 in which 10designates a shell having a hollow body 11 adapted to contain a suitablecharge of explosive 12, and a point or head 13. The hollow body has acylindrical portion 14: provided with bands 15 to coand has waterpassage 20 leading to a fuse plug 21.

The shoulder 17 serves to deflect the shell and causes it to dive as itstrikes the surface of the water, the screw blades 18 being adapted toprevent ricochetting.

The conical portion 16 may be a part of the head and be joined to thecylindrical body as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in which corresponding partsare designated by the same reference characters. In this arrangement thewater passage to the fuse is axially arranged and extends to the nose ofthe shell. 7 The shell may. be formed as shown in Fig. 5 and comprise ascrew or propeller portion having blades 22 helically formed like theblades 18 of the previous figures, but located near the trailing end ofthe shell and joined by a connective deflecting ring 23. If thepropeller portion is permanently attached to or forms a part of theshell a special gun such as 24 with a large bore must be used. In thisarrangement a light cylindrical follower 25 is interposed be- ,tween theshell and the explosive charge of the gun. When the gun is fired theshell is forced out at the usual high velocity and the follower 25,being light will drop harmlessly into the water at a relatively shortdistance from the ship on which the gun is mounted. The ring has a band26 which engages the rifling of the gun and causes the shell to rotatein the usual manner.

Instead of forming the shell as in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, a shell ofusual shape and size may be provided as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 withscrew blades 28 at the point and have a deflecting collar 29 mounted inposition to be picked up by the shell as it leaves the gun (see Fig. 10for example).

The collar 29 comprises a hub 30 which fits into the shell and a flange31 which extends outwardly and backwardly behind the center of gravityof the shell.

- Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, 32 designates a shell of well-knownconstruction, which is provided with a deflector attachment 33. Thisattachment comprises a hub 34, which fits on to the shell, a pluralityof screw propeller blades 35 and deflector ring 36. This structure issimilar to that of Fig. 5, but

the shell is adapted to be discharged from an ordinary gun, and theattachment which combines the functions of deflector and The attachmentof Figs. 8 and 9 offers much less resistance to flight through the airthan that shown' in Fig. 6, because the blades 35 are helically formedso that they cut a path, due to the rotation of the shell. The ring 36serves to cause the shell to dive as it strikes the surface of thewater.

Furthermore, the blades offer small resistance to the movement of theshell in the water, and consequently this form of attachment isparticularly well adapted for shooting bodies submerged to aconsiderable depth below the surface of the water, as yell as for thosewhich are nearer the surace.

Either of the forms of attachment shown in Figs. 6 and 8 is adapted todeflect the shell into a definite course downwardly, as it strikes thewater but there will be a certain amount of drift due to the kineticforces and this is indicated by the two sets of broken lines in Figs. 11and 12, one set oflines indicating the theoretic projectory of theshell'in the water, and the other the actual projectory.

Fig. 11 clearly indicates the operation of a shell such as that shown inFig. 6 as it strikes the surface, and Fig. 12 similarly illustrates theaction of a shell such as that shown either in Figs. 8 and 9, or thatshown in Fig. 5.

The action of the shells of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive is similar and thedrawings servev to illustrate the action of any embodiment of myinvention having a rigid deflector which is effective back of the centerof gravity of the shell, or having such a deflector in combination witha screw portion which materially assists in overcoming the tendencyofthe shell to ricochet.

Any suitable means may be used to support the attachments at the muzzleof the gun, for example. A yoke 38 may be provided as shown in Fig. 10with a segmental clamping ring 39 which is adapted to be bolted to thegun. The yoke comprises an annular carrier 40 into which the attachmentis loosely fitted against a stop projection 41.- A spring clip 42 holdsthe attachment in place until it is picked up by the shell as it leavesthe gun.

This application is a continuation in part of my application Ser.#202932 filed Novem .ber the 20th, 1917, claims covering all the portsas a separate species are bein retained 'in my copending application ave referred to.

What I claim is:

1. A marine projectile comprising 'a cylindrical body portion adapted tofit the bore of a gun, a tapering leading portion connected to thecylindrical body portion and forming therewith an annular deflectingshoulder back of the center of gravity of the shell.

2. A marine projectile comprising a cylindrical body portion adapted tofit the bore of a gun, a" tapering leading portion connected to thecylindrical body portion and forming therewith an annular deflectingshoulder back of the center of gravity of the shell, and a screw orpropeller member for causing the shell to enter the water.

3. A marine projectile comprising a cylindrical body portion adapted tofit the bore of a gun, a tapering leading portion connected to thecylindrical body portion and forming therewith an annular deflectingshoulder back of the center of gravity of the shell, and propellerblades. at the point.

4. A marine deflector for shells comprising rigid means which iseffective behind the center of gravity of the shell for deflecting thecourse of the shell when it strikes the surface of the water.

5. A marine deflector for shells comprising a hub adapted to fit theshell, and rigid means which is effective behind the center of gravityof the shell for deflecting the course of the shell when it strikes thesurface of the water.

6. A marine collar for shells comprising a hub adapted to fit the shell,and a rigid deflector extending outwardly from the hub, behind thecenter of gravity of the shell.

' 7. A marine collar for shells comprising a hub adapted to fit theshell, and a rigid flange extending outwardly behind the center ofgravity of the shell for deflecting the course of the shell when itstrikes the surface of the water.

8. A marine collar for shells comprising a hub adapted to fit the shell,and a symmetrical flange extending outwardly and backwardly behind thecenter of gravity of the shell from the hub for deflecting the course ofthe shell when it strikes the surface of the water.

9. A marine projectile comprising a shell *and means extending back ofthe center of gravity of the shell and attached thereto for effecting apredetermined deflection of the trajectory when the shell strikes thesurface of the water at an angle to the surface thereof.

10. A marine projectile comprising a shell, and means extending back ofthe center of gravity of the shel for effecting a predetermineddeflection of the trajectory when the shell strikes the surface of thewater at an angle to the surface thereof.

11. A marine projectile comprising a shell adapted to be discharged froma rifle, having a screw member arranged to cause the rotating shell toenter the water and means back of the center of gravity for deflectingthe projectile to a predetermined course in the water.

12. A marine projectile having a portion adapted to engage the riflingof the gun, a screw portion adapted to cause the projectile to enter thewater when it strikes the surface thereof, and means back of the centerof gravity for deflecting the projectile to a predetermined course.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 22nd day of March,1918.

HANS GUSTAV BERENTSEN.

